| Oh Happy Band! | |
|---|---|
 Animated titlescreen of Oh Happy Band! | |
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Written by | Jeremy Lloyd David Croft |
| Directed by | David Croft |
| Starring | Harry Worth Margaret Clifton Jonathan Cecil John Horsley Billy Burden Tom Mennard |
| Theme music composer | David Croft |
| Opening theme | "Oh Happy Band!" |
| Ending theme | "Oh Happy Band!" |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Production | |
| Producer | David Croft |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC1 |
| Release | 3 September – 8 October 1980 |
Oh Happy Band! is a British television sitcom written by Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft. The series ran for six episodes on BBC1, from 3 September to 8 October 1980, and featured the final screen appearance of comedian Harry Worth. For musical sequences, the series featured the Aldershot Brass Ensemble.[1][2] Since broadcast, the series has not been repeated or released on any home consumer media.
Plot
Harry (Harry Worth) is the conductor of a brass band in the small, fictional northern town of Nettlebridge. During the course of the series, he and his fellow band members become involved in a campaign to prevent the building of a new airport over their town.[1]
Cast
- Harry Worth as Mr Beddington
- Margaret Clifton as Miss Mayhew
- Jonathan Cecil as Mr Herbert
- John Horsley as Mr Braithwaite
- Billy Burden as Mr Sowerby
- Tom Mennard as Mr Pilgrim
- Tony Sympson as Mr Giles
- Jan Holden as Mrs Draper
- Moira Foot as Glenda
- Peggy Ann Clifford as Mrs Tickford
- Harold Bennett as Vicar
Episodes
- A Bird in the Bush (3 September 1980)
- Let Bygones Be Bygones (10 September 1980)
- A Record to Be Proud of (17 September 1980)
- Home Cure (24 September 1980)
- A Song in the Air (1 October 1980)
- Diplomatic Privilege (8 October 1980)
Reception
Writer and historian Mark Lewisohn, in the BBC Guide to Comedy, wrote that the series was: "An odd amalgam of ideas from established sitcom creators Lloyd and Croft... Considering the usual dependability of the major protagonists here, it is fair to say that Oh Happy Band! was flat rather than sharp."[2]
References
- 1 2 Oh Happy Band! at David Croft.co.uk, retrieved 7 July 2010
- 1 2 Oh Happy Band! at the former BBC Guide to Comedy (archive), retrieved 7 July 2010